Welcome to ECA Watch

Export credit agences provide government-backed loans, guarantees and insurance to corporations working internationally in some of the most volatile, controversial and damaging industries on the planet.

Shrouded in mystery, ECAs provide financial backing for risky projects that might never otherwise get off the ground. They are a major source of national debt in developing countries.

ECA Watch is a network of NGOs from around the world. We come together to campaign for ECA reform - better transparency, accountability, and respect for environmental standards and human rights.

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What's New for February 2024

"What's New!" is a periodic update to keep you informed of the latest on the ECA Watch website. What's New! features a wide range of materials related to the reform of Export Credit Agencies (ECAs) including NGO publications and releases, news articles, commentaries and announcements about the policies and practices of ECAs and ECA-financed projects world-wide.

If you would like to receive "What's New!" simply add your e-mail to the ECA-Action list at www.eca-watch.org today! Questions?

Email info-at-eca-watch.org

See all "What's New!" updates since 2005 here

  • Joe Biden should end EXIM support for overseas oil and gas projects
  • EXIM Climate Advisors Quit Over Fossil Fuel Plans
  • African Rail Projects Become Battleground For US-China Competition In Strategic Mineral Supply Chains
  • Italian and Japanese ECAs allocate billions for Ukraine
  • ECAs pile in on European battery gigafactories facility
  • Africa’s debt dilemma: The role of ECAs and new strategies
  • SACE plans to back $1.6 billion in debt to Saudi Arabia
  • The real effects of trade financing by ECAs
  • Financing uncertainty clouds South Korean ECA push for massive arms deals
  • Tanzania's Precision Air Faces Legal Action Over $26 Million ATR 42 Debt to EDC
  • India directs ECGC to maintain moratorium on insurance rates for exporters

Joe Biden should end EXIM support for overseas oil and gas projects

(Guardian, London, 14 February 2024) Oil Change International and Friends of the Earth US say the US president must follow his move to restrain fossil fuel expansion at home with similar measures to curb it around the world. We back Bill McKibben’s call for more of the sort of leadership recently shown by President Joe Biden in pausing new liquified natural gas export terminals. Biden has another opportunity to curb the fossil fuel industry’s relentless expansionist agenda and affirm his climate credentials in this election year at an upcoming meeting of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). At Cop26, the UN climate conference in Glasgow in 2021, 34 governments, including the US, pledged to end international public finance for fossil fuels by the end of 2022. Despite this, in the last year alone, the US has provided more than $2.2bn to oil and gas projects around the world via its export credit agency, the US Export-Import Bank, and its development finance institution.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/14/joe-biden-should-end-support...


EXIM Climate Advisors Quit Over Fossil Fuel Plans

(New York Times, New York, 5 February 2024) A federal bank that finances projects overseas is set to vote on Thursday on whether to use taxpayer dollars to help drill oil and gas wells in Bahrain, a contentious decision that prompted two of the bank’s climate advisers to resign, according to people with knowledge of their decisions. The two advisers, who sit on an 18-person board that President Biden created to help the bank take climate change into account when making investments, resigned last week after a meeting about the Bahrain project, according to five current and former bank officials. They described mounting frustration among climate advisory board members, who say they are being kept in the dark about upcoming fossil fuel loans and blocked from making recommendations about whether to approve or even modify a particular project. Climatewire also notes that Biden embedded climate advisers into America’s export credit agency to increase scrutiny over its investments, but their work has mostly been stymied by the agency’s continued pursuit of fossil fuel projects. Five people with firsthand knowledge of the climate council’s work at EXIM described a sense of frustration over investments into projects such as oil and gas development in Bahrain and an Indonesian oil refinery that received a $100 million loan.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/05/climate/export-import-bank-climate.html


African Rail Projects Become Battleground For US-China Competition In Strategic Mineral Supply Chains

(Benzinga, DEtroit, 12 February 2024) A U.S. delegation to a major mining conference in South Africa last week included officials from the Treasury and State departments and the chair of EXIM. Mining and building infrastructure on the continent hasn't traditionally been a U.S. government priority but that is changing now that decarbonization of the economy has taken a front seat and Washington has grown worried about China's dominance of supply chains for strategic materials, including cobalt and copper, used in electric vehicles and renewable energy systems powered by wind turbines and solar panels. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia hold more than a 10th of the known copper deposits in the earth's crust. The DRC produces around 70% of the world's cobalt, which is generally a byproduct of copper mining. Most of that cobalt is exported to China, which is by far the world's biggest importer of copper ores and concentrates. So it's no surprise that China has been investing heavily in the African mining and transportation sector. Chinese entities own all or part of most of the producing mines in the DRC. China provided interest-free financing for a railway built in the 1970s linking Zambia's Copperbelt to a port in Tanzania on Africa's east coast. China this week announced a plan to revitalize that railway, providing direct competition to a U.S.-backed rail corridor from the mineral-rich area to Angola on the Atlantic side of the continent. The United States is ramping up its efforts to secure critical metals and in May said it was performing due diligence for a potential financing package to fund and upgrade a rail line from the DRC border to the Lobito Port in Angola on Africa's west coast, expected to greatly reduce the time and cost of trucking copper and cobalt to ports. Canadian company Ivanhoe Mines Ltd is the first mining customer for this Lobito corridor, having this week signed an agreement for the right to transport 120,000-240,000 metric tons a year along the line for five years starting in 2025

https://www.benzinga.com/markets/commodities/24/02/37074505/african-rail-project...


Italian and Japanese ECAs allocate billions for Ukraine

(Interfax & UKRANEWS, Kiev, 19 February 2024) The Italian export credit agency SACE will allocate 1.5 billion euros to support trade and financial operations, in particular, in the field of healthcare and infrastructure. Japan's NEXI will allocate EUR 1.3 billion to support Japanese investors in Ukraine consisting of two parts: guarantees for Japanese investors, as well as a credit line for the export of Japanese goods for the implementation of Ukraine's reconstruction projects. The Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported that Ukraine's reconstruction needs already amount to almost USD 486 billion.




ECAs pile in on European battery gigafactories facility

(Global Trade Review, London, 14 February 2024) Three export credit agencies have thrown their support behind a €4.4bn debt raising for a company building lithium battery gigafactories across Europe, the latest in a string of deals intended to beef up the continent’s renewable energy supply chains. France-based Automotive Cells Company (ACC) says Italian export credit agency (ECA) Sace, Germany’s Euler Hermes and France’s bpifrance have all agreed to support financing provided by a pool of commercial lenders.

https://www.gtreview.com/news/europe/ecas-pile-in-on-european-gigafactories-faci...


Africa’s debt dilemma: The role of ECAs and new strategies

(Trade Finance Global, London, 15 February 2024) The African economy has suffered three major shocks in quick succession, namely, the COVID-19 pandemic, spillovers from geopolitical tensions and supply chain disruptions. This, coupled with widening fiscal deficits, exchange rate volatility and natural disasters have eroded the fiscal space of African economies and increased debt levels. The rising debt in Africa and the high risk of sovereign default hampers the activities of export credit agencies (ECAs) on the continent. However, this challenge has also presented opportunities for flexibility, for example, cover for down payments, higher percentages of cover for both political and commercial risks, as well as longer tenors. The continent facing debt issues, continues to be a major playing field for Export Credit Insurance Corporation of South Africa (ECIC SA), with Ghana accounting for 51.4% of total exposure, followed by Zimbabwe and Ethiopia at 23.0% and 7.7%, respectively. From an industry viewpoint, the ECIC portfolio has shifted away from its traditional mining focus. Currently, power generation leads as the top sector, accounting for 45.8% of total exposure, with construction following closely at 40%.

https://www.tradefinanceglobal.com/posts/addressing-africas-debt-dilemma-the-rol...


SACE plans to back $1.6 billion in debt to Saudi Arabia

(Reuters, Dubai, 12 February 2024)  Italy’s export credit agency SACE plans to back $1.6 billion in loans to Saudi Arabia over the next 12 to 18 months, the agency’s chief told Reuters, potentially boosting the country's search for outside investment at a time of weak oil prices. Saudi Arabia last month sent requests for proposals to banks for the refinancing of a $10 billion syndicated loan, new bond issuance, and for ECA-backed funding. Saudi Arabia’s national oil giant, Aramco, has also been tapping this form of financing. The company is looking to raise billions of dollars in ECA-backed loans involving agencies across the globe ahead of its planned stock market listing, sources told Reuters last month. SACE, which is meeting prospective clients in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia this week, is evaluating projects in the Middle East and North Africa worth about $15 billion, $5 billion of which in the United Arab Emirates.

https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN1FW0X8/


The real effects of trade financing by ECAs

(Centre for Econonic Policy Research, London, 9 February 2024) Trade finance subsidies, usually provided by export credit agencies, are the predominant tool of industrial policy. This column discusses the effect of the effective shutdown of the US EXIM from 2015—2019 on firm outcomes. It finds that firms which previously relied on EXIM support saw a 18% drop in sales after the agency closed, driven by a reduction in exports. Firms affected by the shutdown also laid off employees and curtailed investment. Overall, export credit subsidies can boost exports even in countries with well-developed financial markets, without necessarily leading to a misallocation of resources. Exports are often seen as boosting economic growth. But exporting internationally requires upfront financing. Recognising this, around one hundred countries around the world have set up export credit agencies to provide subsidised trade financing to support their country’s exporters. Today, such subsidies are the predominant tool of industrial policy around the world, especially in advanced economies. In absolute terms, China, Germany, Korea, and the US spend the most on these programmes. The Scandinavian countries, as well as China and Korea, are among the heaviest users of export credit agency support relative to their exports as we show in panel B of Figure 1. To better understand the role of export credit agencies, we study the temporary shutdown of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) between 2015 and 2019, prompted by a lapse in its charter—a first since the agency's inception in 1945 – and lack of quorum on its board of directors. The shutdown resulted in an 80% drop in the volume of EXIM-supported transactions in 2016 compared to 2014. The volume of export credit support provided by EXIM only returned to pre-shutdown levels after the resumption of full operations in December 2019.

https://cepr.org/voxeu/columns/real-effects-trade-financing-export-credit-agenci...


Financing uncertainty clouds South Korean ECA push for massive arms deals

(Reuters, London, 8 February 2024) Legislation aimed at increasing South Korea's import-export lending to support huge new defence sales has stalled amid partisan deadlock ahead of a divisive parliamentary election, officials and analysts said. South Korea's ruling and opposition parties have both introduced bills to boost the state bank's equity capital to 25 trillion-35 trillion won ($19 billion-$26 billion), raising the lending limit to 10 trillion-14 trillion won, as the country seeks to expedite Poland's $22 billion weapons purchase. The sale is a key part of South Korea's plan to become the world's fourth-largest defence exporter by 2027. But under current law, the Export-Import Bank of Korea cannot lend more than 40% of its roughly 15 trillion won of equity capital, or about 6 trillion won, to a single borrower. The state bank already provided about 6 trillion won in credit during the first phase of the deal with Poland, South Korea's biggest-ever weapons sale. If there is no credit line to finance procurement from South Korea it could put the unsigned procurement of 308 K9 howitzers and 820 K2 Black Panther tanks in jeopardy,

https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/financing-uncertainty-clouds-...


Tanzania's Precision Air Faces Legal Action Over $26 Million ATR 42 Debt to EDC

(Simple Flying, London, 10 February) Tanzania-based regional carrier Precision Air is in a legal battle with Canadia's Export Development Canada (EDC) for an aircraft financing agreement involving two ATR 42-600s acquired over ten years ago. EDC is claiming about $26 million in unpaid rentals and termination fees. The financial agreement between the two parties dates back to 2012, when EDC provided financial assistance to Precision Air to acquire two ATR 42-600s as part of its fleet expansion plan. The agreement involved Irish aircraft leasing firm Antelope Leasing Finance, which acted as the debtor and held the turboprops as collateral on EDC's behalf.

https://simpleflying.com/precision-air-26-million-atr-debt-legal-action/


India directs ECGC to maintain moratorium on insurance rates for exporters

(India Times, Gurugram Haryana, 7 February 2024) The Indian government on Wednesday said it has directed the Export Credit Guarantee Corporation (ECGC) to maintain a moratorium on insurance rates for Indian exporters in the wake of the Red Sea crisis. State-owned ECGC is an export promotion organisation, seeking to improve the competitiveness of Indian exports by providing them with credit insurance covers. Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Anupriya Patel said that the ECGC continues to provide insurance coverage to exporters. She said that the corporation has not refused cover for export shipments routed through the Red Sea and the credit risk cover is being provided based on the risk assessment and creditworthiness of overseas buyers and terms of payment.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com//news/economy/foreign-trade/govt-directs-ec...


What's New for January 2024

"What's New!" is a periodic update to keep you informed of the latest on the ECA Watch website. What's New! features a wide range of materials related to the reform of Export Credit Agencies (ECAs) including NGO publications and releases, news articles, commentaries and announcements about the policies and practices of ECAs and ECA-financed projects world-wide.

If you would like to receive "What's New!" simply add your e-mail to the ECA-Action list at www.eca-watch.org today! Questions?

Email info-at-eca-watch.org

See all "What's New!" updates since 2005 here

  • Biden Administration Faces Pushback on Another Gas Project, This Time Overseas
  • JBIC financing for two gas power projects in Mexico would violate the G7 agreement
  • Amid Corruption Charges, Groups Demand EXIM Halt Payments to Trafigur
  • ECAs support €1.08 billion green loans for Cadeler
  • UKEF underwrites financing for another section of Turkish high speed rail network
  • Red Sea crisis: Indian shipping costs and times and export credit premiums up
  • Brodies Guides On War Risk Insurance For Ukrainian Exports
  • H2 Green Steel Boden: Complex financing includes Euler Hermes
  • Swedish “Green” Steel Plant Secures $7 Billion in Financing
  • Northvolt gets $5bn green loan for European EV push
  • Petroperú Desperate for Cash Loses $500M SACE Loan Guarantee
  • How to Deal with Sinosure as an Importer
  • European Union readies €300mn ECA pilot
  • UKEF: Taxpayers underwrite French contractor’s Saudi project
  • African tri-nation transport project to start Phase II
  • Belgian ECA Credendo helps expansion of Montevideo Port to Boost Uruguay's Foreign Trade
  • FLASH: US Exim readies for US$2bn domestic financing boom

Biden Administration Faces Pushback on Another Gas Project, This Time Overseas

(New York Times, New York, 26 January 2024) Even as the Biden administration, under pressure from environmentalists, hits pause on its approval of a major natural gas export terminal in the United States, it faces another big gas decision overseas. A $13 billion natural gas export project in Papua New Guinea led by TotalEnergies and Exxon Mobil is on a shortlist of projects set to receive financing from the U.S. Export-Import Bank, or Ex-Im, which supports American businesses around the world.The Papua LNG gas project would join a portfolio of oil and gas projects the bank funds, including an oil refinery in Indonesia and an oil tank project in the Bahamas. The bank is also considering financing an offshore pipeline and natural gas plants in Guyana. Some climate activists see a big contradiction between climate actions the government is taking in the United States versus around the world. “He’s done so much at home,” said Friends of the Earth's Kate DeAngeli, but he “can’t claim to be a climate champion when the U.S. is propping up this fossil fuel infrastructure all over the world.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/26/climate/lng-terminals-financing-cp2.html


JBIC financing for two gas power projects in Mexico would violate the G7 agreement

(JACSES, Tokyo, 30 January 2024) The Japan Center for a Sustainable Environment and Society notes that two gas-fired combined cycle power projects in Mexico are now under consideration for financing by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC). One is in San Luis Potosi and the other one in Salamanca. When Japanese NGOs asked the consistency of these two projects with the agreement reached at G7 Elmau Summit to end new public financing for fossil fuel energy, JBIC did not provide specific rationale on its judgment that the policy of the Mexican government is consistent with the 1.5 degree target. If JBIC provides support, it is highly likely that it constitutes a violation of the G7 agreement, thus JBIC should stop consideration for financing. JBIC placed these two projects on its list of projects under consideration for financing on November 2, 2023.

https://jacses.org/en/406/


Amid Corruption Charges, Groups Demand EXIM Halt Payments to Trafigura

(Friends of the Earth, Washington, 23 January 2024) Civil society and environmental groups today requested that the US Export-Import Bank withdraw funding from the Trafigura Group, a major global commodity trader. In December, Bloomberg reported that Trafigura was charged with corruption and bribing elected officials in Angola. In an open letter to EXIM, asking the bank to halt its payment of $400 million to Trafigura, a financing agreement that was approved in July 2023. This letter questions EXIM’s due process in analyzing funding recipients and its method of reconsideration when corruption is revealed. This comes on the heels of both the United States and Swiss governments launching investigations into the company’s affairs. Despite this, EXIM last year gave Trafigura the massive financing of $400 million to purchase liquefied natural gas, a decision the groups charge was made based on flawed environmental damage assessments. EXIM is soon expected to approve $660 million for the Gas to Energy Project in Guyana, despite similar concerns from activists. In 2023 the institution funded nearly $1 billion for overseas oil and gas development, violating President Biden’s 2021 Executive Order.

https://foe.org/news/exim-halt-payments-trafigura/


ECAs support €1.08 billion green loans for Cadeler

(The Asset, Hong Kong, 3 January 2024) Oslo-listed offshore wind turbine installation company Cadeler has raised €1.075 billion (US$1.19 billion) via two syndicated green financing facilities with backing from export credit agencies (ECAs). The revolving facilities will be used to refinance Cadeler and Eneti’s existing debt, as well as finance merger-related costs. Ancillary lines have been set up to support the project-related letter of credit (LC) needs of the company, and term facilities will finance the upgrade of cranes on two of Cadeler’s O-Class offshore installation vessels. The financing for the crane upgrades has ECA backing from the Export and Investment Fund of Denmark (Eifo). A facility amounting to €425 million, which is backed by the China Export & Credit Insurance Corporation (Sinosure), will be used to finance the acquisition of two new X-Class wind turbine installation vessels currently under construction in China.

https://www.theasset.com/article/50681/ecas-support-108-billion-green-loans-for-...


UKEF underwrites financing for another section of Turkish high speed rail network

(Railway Gazette, Sutton, 22 January 2024) The UK government’s export credit agency UKEF has agreed to underwrite a €1·03bn loan arranged by Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group for three Turkish companies to construct Turkey’s 140 km long Yerköy – Kayseri route modernisation scheme. UKEF has partnered with export credit agencies from Italy (SACE), which reinsured €249m of the guarantee, Poland’s KUKE, which reinsured €205m, and Austria’s OeKB (€176m). A separate €220m commercial loan from the Islamic Corporation for the Insurance of Investment & Export Credit makes the total financing package worth €1·2bn. [This is the third Turkish high-speed railway to be backed by UK Export Finance and its counterparts in Italy, Poland, and Austria. Combined, the projects amount to some 900km of rail. The two others are the Ankara-Izmir and the Mersin-Gaziantep lines.]

https://www.railwaygazette.com/infrastructure/uk-underwrites-financing-for-anoth...


Red Sea crisis: Indian shipping costs and times and export credit premiums up

(Financial Express, Noida, 18 January 2024) An Indian inter-ministerial meeting on Red Sea crisis on Wednesday has asked the Department of Financial Services (DFS) in the finance ministry to monitor the credit requirements of exporters and ensure that credit flows to them are maintained, a senior official said Wednesday. Different reports have said the conflict in the Red Sea is leading to increased shipping costs by 40-60%, insurance premiums by 15-20% and delays of up to 20 days due to rerouting of some ships away from Suez Canal. The cost and turnaround time of shipments have increased as two shipping lines including Maersk have stopped services but volume is not affected, the official said.He said so far there has just been time and cost impact, nothing else. In the rapidly escalating situation in the region the shipping rates on some routes have gone up by six times. Exporters fear that the impact could come in a big way if the situation does not normalise. The government may have to look at alternate routes. On its part the ministry of commerce has asked Export Credit Guarantee Corporation (ECGC) not to increase the premium on credit insurance and other related services.The insurance covers enable the banks to extend timely and adequate export credit facilities to the exporters. [Around 80% of India’s merchandise trade with Europe passes through the Red Sea and substantial trade with the US also takes this route. Both geographies account for 34% of India’s total exports. The Red Sea strait is vital for 30% of global container traffic and 12% of world trade.]

https://www.financialexpress.com/policy/economy-red-sea-crisis-export-credit-to-...


Brodies Guides On War Risk Insurance For Ukrainian Exports

(USA Herald, New York, 12 January 2024) In a groundbreaking move, Scottish law firm Brodies LLP has steered Ukraine’s Export Credit Agency through uncharted territory, unveiling a novel war risk insurance process to safeguard shipowners and vessel charterers amidst the ongoing conflict with Russia. In a daring legal maneuver, Brodies LLP has strategically advised Ukraine’s Export Credit Agency, paving the way for a groundbreaking war risk insurance process. The initiative aims to fortify shipowners and vessel charterers, allowing uninterrupted goods shipments across the tumultuous Black Sea during the persisting conflict with Russia. Brodies unveiled the revolutionary insurance arrangement, orchestrating a financial ballet that channels funds to accounts at two Ukrainian state banks, Ukrgasbank and Ukreximbank. These financial powerhouses are then empowered to issue irrevocable letters of credit, each confirmed and guaranteed by Germany’s DZ Bank AG.

https://usaherald.com/brodies-guides-on-war-risk-insurance-for-ukrainian-exports...


H2 Green Steel Boden: Complex financing includes Euler Hermes

(TXF News, London, 23 January) H2 Green Steel (H2GS) – the world’s second green hydrogen mega project – has taken a similar approach to Neom for its hydrogen-powered steel manufacturing project in Boden, Sweden. The simple math – 1% overall cost increase for 40% emissions decrease on the final manufactured product – has enabled H2GS to get a long list of very solid credits signed up to term sheets or steel supply agreements. The multi-sourced debt facilities backing the €6 billion-plus project was signed on 21 December 2023 and are expected to reach financial close in Q1. The overall financing for H2GS comprises €4.15 billion of senior and junior debt... and debt facilities for the project comprised of two €1.2 billion 12.75-year tranches with 95% and 80% cover provided by Euler Hermes and Riksgalden (Swedish National debt Office) respectively, a €200 million 12.75-year direct loan from the EIB, a €250 million 12.75-year term loan, a €300 million 12.75-year revolving credit and a €400 million 12.75-year contingency tranche.

https://www.txfnews.com/articles/7631/H2-Green-Steel-Boden-Long-on-ambitions-low...


Swedish “Green” Steel Plant Secures $7 Billion in Financing

(Thomasnet, New York, 29 January 2024) The developer of the world’s first large-scale plant that will manufacture “green” steel has now secured some $7 billion in financing for the project to date, company officials announced. More than 20 lenders signed onto the debt financing, including the European Investment Bank, the Swedish Export Credit Corp., and numerous commercial banks. The new equity funding, meanwhile, came from the Microsoft Climate Innovation Fund and Siemens Financial Services, among others. H2 Green Steel recently disclosed new debt financing agreements worth $4.6 billion and said that its equity funding had increased by $325 million — up to $2.3 billion. It has also received a grant from a European Union energy innovation initiative worth about $270 million. H2, founded in Stockholm in 2020, aims to replace the use of fossil fuels in heavy industry with hydrogen fuel produced with renewable electricity, thereby slashing greenhouse gas emissions. The company says its steelmaking process reduces carbon dioxide emissions by up to 95% compared to conventional steel production, which uses blast furnaces fired by coke, a coal-based fuel.

https://www.thomasnet.com/insights/worlds-first-green-steel-plant-secures-7-bill...


Northvolt gets $5bn green loan for European EV push

Northvolt AB, the Swedish battery maker that counts BMW, Volvo Car and Volkswagen among its clients, has secured a $5 billion (€4.59 billion) green loan to bolster production and expand recycling efforts. The package backed by the Luxembourg-based European Investment Bank is among the largest green loans on record. Northvolt is central for European efforts to establish an electric-vehicle supply chain that can rival Asia and the US. The company plans to use the money to expand production at its main Swedish factory in Skelleftea and grow an adjacent recycling plant. It’s funding is guaranteed by export credit agencies and provided by 23 commercial banks in addition to the Nordic Investment Bank and the European Investment Bank, which is lending slightly over $1 billion (€942.6 million). A significant portion of the loan is covered with certain guarantees combined with direct funding from the Swedish National Debt Office, Euler Hermes, the Export-Import Bank of Korea, Japan’s Nippon Export and Investment Insurance, or NEXI, and the Korea Trade Insurance Corporation.

https://www.luxtimes.lu/europeanunion/northvolt-gets-5bn-green-loan-for-european...


Petroperú Desperate for Cash Loses $500M SACE Loan Guarantee

(Amazon Watch, Oakland, 25 January 2024) In 2023, the Peruvian state-owned oil company, Petroperú, faced one of its worst financial crises, due to its accumulation of up to $6.5 billion in debt for its Talara Refinery Project, which will likely serve as a major driver of oil exploration and exploitation in Indigenous territories of the Amazon and in ancestral fishing grounds in the north Peruvian coast. Due to successful community opposition against oil activities, Petroperú was unable to secure a $500 million loan guarantee in 2023 from Italy’s export credit agency (SACE) partly due to intense scrutiny from Indigenous nations and strong backlash against Petroperú in Italy. The world’s largest fossil fuel financiers, Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase, are considering supporting the company again by arranging or underwriting Petroperú’s $1 billion bond issuance. This is despite ongoing demands by a united front of multiple Indigenous nations of the Peruvian Amazon for international financiers to halt new financing for Petroperú.

https://amazonwatch.org/news/2024/0125-petroperu-is-desperate-for-cash-but-were-...


How to Deal with Sinosure as an Importer

(Global Trading Magazine, Dallas, 8 January 2024) An in-depth guide on handling the Sinosure export credit insurance services and getting deferred payments for your imports from Chinese suppliers. Payment terms in contracts with Chinese suppliers can require as much as 30% of the total up front as a hedge against the importer’s nonpayment, also known as its credit risk. The remainder of the payment is usually due before the Chinese exporter ships the goods. Sinosure, the China Export & Credit Insurance Corporation, is an official financial institution designed to help in cases like that. It provides export credit insurance to companies in China seeking to do business with foreign buyers without having to bear the risk of nonpayment. While Sinosure’s clients are the exporting Chinese companies, its business benefits importers outside of China by eliminating cash flow issues and extended delivery times. With this insurance safeguard, suppliers are more willing to extend deferred payment terms and trade turnover with their foreign partners, to the mutual benefit of both parties. In the year 2022, Sinosure ensured export credit worth more than $700 billion for approximately 240,000 Chinese exporters. This compares with only $2.61 billion insured that year by US Exim. Sinosure insures so much more because it is a key part of the country’s export drive, and it maintains a large sales and customer service network throughout China, whereas US Exim generally focuses on a few large-scale industries like airplanes, power generation, and infrastructure.

https://www.globaltrademag.com/how-to-deal-with-sinosure-as-an-importer/


European Union readies €300mn ECA pilot

(Global Trade Review, London, 17 January 2024) The European Union is advancing plans to launch its inaugural risk-sharing instrument for the export credit sector, with a pilot initiative aimed at boosting SME exports to war-torn Ukraine. The European Commission is developing the scheme alongside the EU’s SME financing arm, the European Investment Fund (EIF), which is expected to guarantee export credit deals involving Ukrainian buyers. It will be the first EU-level risk-sharing instrument provided to the export credit sector, the European Commission says, and highlights how Brussels is increasingly seeking to wield the might of export credit agencies (ECAs) from its 27-member states to advance policy goals, such as green energy, overseas investment and competing with China and the US. Austria’s ECA OeKB, Finnvera, the European Investment Fund, Atradius DSB, Denmark's EIFO and Poland’s ECA Kuke are studying participation.

https://www.gtreview.com/news/europe/european-union-readies-e300mn-eca-pilot/


UKEF: Taxpayers underwrite French contractor’s Saudi project

(Construction Index, London, 5 January 2024) The UK’s export credit agency has guaranteed an Islamic Murabaha financing facility for the development of Six Flags Qiddiya City near Riyadh. UK Export Finance (UKEF) has guaranteed an Islamic Murabaha financing facility for £550m signed by Qiddiya Investment Company to finance the construction of the theme park. This is being undertaken by a joint venture led by Bouygues Bâtiment International of France and local firm Almabani General Contractors. UK Export Finance chief executive Tim Reid said: “Saudi Arabia’s ‘Vision 2030’ is hugely ambitious, and UKEF is determined to ensure that British businesses can benefit from the enormous exporting opportunities it offers.

https://www.theconstructionindex.co.uk/news/view/uk-taxpayers-underwrite-french-...


African tri-nation transport project to start Phase II

(Southern Africa Freight News, Johannesburg, 15 January) The African Development Bank-financed Tanzania-Burundi-DR Congo Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) Project has commenced to Phase 2. The bank's financing is intended to construct 651 kilometres on the Tanzania-Burundi railway line. The bank will provide $98.62 million to Burundi in the form of grants and $597.79m to Tanzania in loans and guarantees. As the Initial Mandate Lead Arranger, the bank will structure and mobilise financing of up to $3.2 billion from commercial banks, development financial institutions, export credit agencies and institutional investors. The total cost of the project both in Tanzania and Burundi is estimated at nearly $3.93bn. The construction of this railway will allow Burundi to intensify the exploitation of nickel, of which the country has the tenth-largest deposit in the world in the Musongati mining fields. The country also has resources such as lithium and cobalt,

https://www.freightnews.co.za/article/african-tri-nation-transport-project-start...


Belgian ECA Credendo helps expansion of Montevideo Port to Boost Uruguay's Foreign Trade

(BNAmericas, Santiago, 10 January 2024) IDB Invest will provide $103 million in financing to Terminal Cuenca del Plata S.A. (TCP), including the mobilization of resources for $46 million from Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. (BBVA) for the design, construction and operation of the expansion of the Port of Montevideo. Additionally, IDB Invest financing will be complemented by a financing facility given to commercial banks by Belgium's export credit agency, Credendo, for a total amount of approximately $340 million.

https://www.bnamericas.com/en/news/idb-invest-supports-the-expansion-of-the-port...


FLASH: US Exim readies for US$2bn domestic financing boom

(Global Trade Review, 31 January 2024) The Export-Import Bank of the United States (US Exim) is anticipating a “significant” rise in domestic financing activity in the coming year as it works to rejig its offering and grow investment in key sectors such as semiconductors, critical minerals and renewable energy.  US Exim first launched the Make More in America (MMIA) programme nearly two years ago, following a 100-day review of critical supply chains.  Deals to-date for some $350m are dwarfed by the financing extended by rival export credit agencies under their equivalent programmes, such as the UK’s, which since releasing its export development guarantee in 2020 has rolled out billions of dollars in support to large corporates such as Ford and Jaguar Land Rover.  “The MMIA initiative is going to be a boon for American manufacturers and American manufacturing. We have US$2bn in the pipeline,” said US Exim’s first vice-president and vice-chair of its board, Judith Pryor, while noting deals are split across a range of industries, such as energy efficiency, battery storage, satellites and critical minerals.

https://www.gtreview.com/news/americas/us-exim-readies-for-us2bn-domestic-financ...


What's New for December 2023

"What's New!" is a periodic update to keep you informed of the latest on the ECA Watch website. What's New! features a wide range of materials related to the reform of Export Credit Agencies (ECAs) including NGO publications and releases, news articles, commentaries and announcements about the policies and practices of ECAs and ECA-financed projects world-wide.

If you would like to receive "What's New!" simply add your e-mail to the ECA-Action list at www.eca-watch.org today! Questions?

Email info-at-eca-watch.org

See all "What's New!" updates since 2005 here.

  • ECAs supporting billions in global trade form net-zero alliance facing civil society scepticism
  • At COP28, Export Development Canada joined Net Zero Alliance Despite Fossil Financing
  • Norway joins 40-signatory partnership to end international public finance for fossil fuels
  • Texas Gulf Coast communities speak out against Japanese ECA backed LNG development
  • EXIM Lent Nearly $1 Billion to Fossil Fuel Projects in 2023
  • PPIB Announces $2 Billion Financial Close of Thar Coal-Fired Plant
  • Saudi Arabia concludes €1 billion financing deal with Italy’s SACE
  • North Field expansion project - a quantum leap in leadership of Qatar's global energy landscape
  • TFX: Export finance trends of 2023: ECAs spearhead success amidst global challenges and geopolitical shifts
  • Gunvor gets gas loan backed by SACE
  • Ukraine strikes deal to get 2 Royal Navy minehunters from UK with UKEF support
  • Italy’s export credit agency SACE unveils its ambitious ESG strategy at COP28
  • Pakistan’s Export-Import Bank formally launched
  • Türk Eximbank expected to provide exporters $41 billion in 2023

ECAs supporting billions in global trade form net-zero alliance facing civil society scepticism

(UNEP, Dubai, 4 December 2023) At COP28 today, 8 leading export credit agencies, in partnership with the University of Oxford, Future of Climate Cooperation, and the UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) launched the UN-convened Net-Zero Export Credit Agencies Alliance (NZECA), the first net-zero alliance comprising public finance institutions globally. In working to deliver net-zero economies by 2050, the NZECA will help decarbonise global trade and facilitate joint action from public and private finance. Combined, these ECAs supported an estimated US$120 billion in global trade in 2022 alone, providing finance and other services such as insurance and guarantees to facilitate local companies’ international exports. The export credit industry is hugely influential globally, with up to $28 trillion – comprising 80 to 90 per cent - of international trade relying on export financing, much of it provided by governments via export credit agencies and export-import banks. But NGOs note that a study by Net Zero Tracker found the bulk of “net zero” commitments from fossil fuel companies were meaningless as they either included no short-term emissions reduction plans, or did not fully cover scope 3 emissions (that is, the pollution released when a company’s products are used). Net Zero hopes/assumes that in the future technology will come along that can suck the carbon out of the atmosphere so that they can just keep going as it is until then.

https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/press-release/export-credit-agencies-suppo...


At COP28, Export Development Canada joined Net Zero Alliance Despite Fossil Financing

(Environmental Defense, Toronto, 4 December 2023) At COP28, Export Development Canada (EDC) joined other export credit agencies to launch the Net-Zero Export Credit Agencies Alliances (NZECA), an alliance of international public finance institutions committed to reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. However, EDC continues to provide public financing to oil and gas companies. In 2022, EDC provided around CAD $20 billion in public financing to oil and gas companies (which includes $12  billion for the Trans Mountain Expansion, or TMX, pipeline). So far this year, they have provided around CAD $12 billion (which includes $6  billion in loans for the TMX pipeline). “Crown corporation Export Development Canada has no place in a net zero alliance. Canada’s export credit agency continues to provide tens of billions each year to oil and gas companies, using publicly-back money to finance the companies and the activities that are fueling the climate crisis. Years of climate promises, including their own net zero commitment, have not made a difference." said Julia Levin, Associate Directorof Environmental Defense in Dubai.

https://environmentaldefence.ca/2023/12/04/at-cop28-export-development-canada-jo...


Norway joins 40-signatory partnership to end international public finance for fossil fuels

(Oil Change International, Washington, 2 December 2023) Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre  announced today that Norway has joined the Clean Energy Transition Partnership (CETP, sometimes called the Glasgow Statement) at the UN COP28 climate summit in Dubai. Boost for CETP which now boasts 40 signatories (including US, Canada, and many EU countries), shifting billions per year out of fossil fuels to clean energy. Norway – as a major oil & gas producing nation – boosts the initiative by joining, building momentum at the OECD level to create new rules to end international fossil finance across the OECD. This move from Norway bolsters an international campaign to adopt new rules at the OECD (the group of the world’s wealthiest countries) to end export finance support for fossil fuels. OECD countries supported fossil fuel exports by an average of USD 41 billion from 2018 to 2020, almost five times more than clean energy exports. The EU, Canada, and UK have tabled a proposal to end this finance. Having signed onto the CETP, Norway is now expected to deliver on the CETP’s commitment to “driving multilateral commitments in international bodiesby aligning with the UK, EU, and Canada in the push for oil and gas restrictions at the OECD.

https://priceofoil.org/2023/12/02/norway-joins-40-signatory-partnership-to-end-i...


Texas Gulf Coast communities speak out against Japanese ECA backed LNG development

(Oil Change International, Washington, 28 November 2023) Representatives of Friends of the Earth Japan & Oil Change International traveled to Texas & Louisiana in early November for a week-long tour, organized by Texas Campaign for the Environment, to witness & learn about the impacts of LNG development on local communities. The Japanese government is the largest global financier of LNG export terminals, providing 50% of international public finance, or $39.7 billion, for LNG export capacity built from 2012-2022, as well as projects under construction or expected to be built by 2026. In the Gulf South, Japan’s export credit agencies, the Japan Bank for International Cooperation and Nippon Export and Investment Insurance, provided $3.7 billion in financing for the Freeport LNG terminal & $4.5 billion for Cameron LNG in 2014.  The Japanese & Korean governments are also rolling out plans to develop new ammonia & hydrogen production & export facilities globally including in Lake Charles & Corpus Christi. These projects would worsen the climate crisis & subject communities to further exploitation & harm. The proliferation of LNG projects & petrochemical facilities, coupled with regulatory failure to enforce environmental standards, have allowed the fossil fuel industry to severely pollute the air & water without consequence. Residents of Port Arthur & other communities on the Gulf Coast suffer from high rates of cancer, respiratory infections & migraines. Water security is also an issue. Industrial water use is prioritized over the needs of local residents. Despite the serious health and safety concerns with the Freeport LNG terminal, Japan’s export credit insurance agency NEXI is planning to support the expansion of the Cameron LNG terminal located on Calcasieu Lake in Louisiana.

https://priceofoil.org/2023/11/28/the-smell-of-death-communities-speak-out-again...


EXIM Lent Nearly $1 Billion to Fossil Fuel Projects in 2023

(New Republic, New York, 28 December 2023) President Joe Biden pledged to stop financing such projects overseas, and yet the U.S. Export-Import Bank continues to do so. While much of the country was occupied last week with holiday travel and time with family, a little-known government agency approved a $90 million guarantee for ING Capital to finance a liquified natural gas export facility in Texas. All told this year, that agency—the U.S. Export-Import Bank—has approved nearly $1 billion in fossil fuel lending, including $100 million for expanding an oil refinery in Indonesia and $400 million of insurance for revolving credit facilities to help commodity trading giant Trafigura purchase LNG. Not long after taking office, in January 2021, President Joe Biden signed an executive order which tasked the bank and other federal agencies with identifying “steps through which the United States can promote ending international financing of carbon-intensive fossil fuel–based energy.”

https://newrepublic.com/article/177757/export-import-bank-1-billion-fossil-fuel-...


PPIB Announces $2 Billion Financial Close of Thar Coal-Fired Plant

(ProPakistani, Islamabad, 14 December 2023) The Private Power and Infrastructure Board (PPIB) announced the $2 billion financial close of the Thar coal-fired power project, which is currently under Chinese management. The project’s main sponsor is Shanghai Electric Group Corporation, while the coal supplier from Thar Block-1 is Sino-Sindh Resources Limited (SSRL). The ICBC, China Development Bank, Bank of Communications Co. Limited, China Minsheng Bank Corporation, Postal Savings Bank of China Co Limited, and Agriculture Bank of China are the main sponsors while Sinosure, China’s premier provider of export credit insurance, was the insurer. The project, which has a power capacity of 1,320MW, is part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). This plant brings the total installed capacity of five commissioned Thar coal-based power plants to 3,300MW.

https://propakistani.pk/2023/12/14/ppib-announces-2-billion-financial-close-of-t...


Saudi Arabia concludes €1 billion financing deal with Italy’s SACE

(Economy Middle East, UAE) Saudi Arabia’s National Debt Management Center (NDMC) has concluded a financing arrangement worth €1 billion with the Italian insurance-financial group SACE. The deal is part of a broader initiative to strengthen trade and investment relations between Saudi Arabia and Italy. The kingdom is seeking to benefit from all available financing resources for government projects as part of its Vision 2030 strategy. Notably, the financing was made through several international banks and aims to finance Saudi Vision 2030’s development and infrastructure projects. Moreover, it is Saudi Arabia’s third financing of its kind following other financing from financial institutions through other export credit agencies.

https://economymiddleeast.com/news/saudi-arabia-financing-arrangement-sace/


North Field expansion project - a quantum leap in leadership of Qatar's global energy landscape

(Gulf Times, Doha, 25 December 2023) Qatar’s energy sector saw a quantum leap in October this year when His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani laid the foundation stone of the North Field expansion project, which will raise the country’s LNG production capacity from the current 77mn tonnes per year (mtpy) to 126mtpy by 2026. QatarEnergy is partnered in this global project by TotalEnergies, Shell, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, Eni, Sinopec, and CNPC. The article outlines a large series of LNG project and sales to multiple European countries, noting they have also secured $4.4bn financing for the Ras Laffan Petrochemicals project, a world scale integrated polymers complex in Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar. The senior debt financing package is comprised of commercial and Islamic facilities as well as Export Credit Agency (ECA) financing.

https://www.gulf-times.com/article/674257/business/north-field-expansion-project...


TFX: Export finance trends of 2023: ECAs spearhead success amidst global challenges and geopolitical shifts

(TFX News, London, 22 December 2023) ECAs have looked to adapt their support for buyers and exporters in a high interest rate environment, revisiting and revamping older policies. The success of this evolution can be seen in the data – export finance is set for a record-breaking year. Greater flexibility brings diversification in financing instruments – the rise of untied support schemes for large corporates has continued with major new deals involving Trafigura, Siemens Energy and Gunvor. This has also given ECAs a prominent new geopolitical role. Realpolitik has driven ECAs into the world of energy security and they must now be more proactive than ever in their support for national interest. Reforms to the OECD Arrangement on Officially Supported Export Credits arrived after years of negotiation and debate. While the impact of these changes will only be truly felt over the coming year, the market has reacted with optimism. Tenors for large-scale renewables projects have been pushed out to up to 22 years while most other projects can now go up to 15 years. The premium rate curve has also been adjusted for obligors with high credit risk ratings. These changes increase the affordability of the ECA product at a time of economic turmoil. However, questions remain: how will ECAs balance their portfolios as longer maturities become the norm? Should the Arrangement set a common position on support for fossil fuel projects? Can ECAs plug the funding gap as critical minerals make headlines? The phrase ‘critical mineral’ has now become standard parlance as countries look to secure the green energy transition with a steady supply of metal. However, the mining industry continues to suffer from a chronic lack of investment. ECA financing is increasingly available for projects that are deemed significant for national security. Over the course of 2023 ECAs supported several project financings including the Kathleen Valley lithium deal and the Hybar rebar steel mill facility. Expect to see this deal flow rise over 2024 if ECAs can make good on their expressions of interest. Talks are under way for three new mines led by Cerrado Gold, while BNP Paribas will lead the financing for Vulcan Energy’s zero-carbon lithium project.
Watch the TXF highlights of 2023 video!

https://www.txfnews.com/articles/7623/Export-finance-trends-of-2023-ECAs-spearhe...


Gunvor gets gas loan backed by SACE

(LNG Prime, Sarajevo, 15 December 2023) Geneva-based trader Gunvor has clos
ed a 400 million euro ($437 million) loan, backed by the Italy's SACE, to secure supplies of natural gas and LNG for Italian industry. The five-year term loan is guaranteed by SACE, the Italian export credit agency controlled by the country’s economy and finance ministry. Gunvor said in a statement that UniCredit acted as a global coordinator. The goal of the facility is to support Italian industry by securing natural gas and LNG supplies while promoting the export of Italy’s goods and services, the trader said.

https://lngprime.com/europe/gunvor-gets-loan-backed-by-italy/100075/


Ukraine strikes deal to get 2 Royal Navy minehunters from UK with UKEF support

(Politico, Brussels, 11 December 2023) Britain will hand over two Royal Navy minehunter ships to Ukraine as the war-torn country grapples with a continued blockage of the Black Sea by Russia. U.K. Defense Secretary Grant Shapps will on Monday announce Ukraine's armed forces have "procured" the Sandown Class vessels from Britain's Royal Navy, although the details of the transfer are still being arranged through U.K. Export Finance, London's export credit agency. The move is part of a new Maritime Capability Coalition, set up with Norway, to help bolster Ukraine's maritime training, equipment and infrastructure. Norwegian Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram will be in London on Monday to launch the initiative. The new coalition wants to help Ukraine transform its navy to make it "more compatible with Western allies, more interoperable with NATO, and bolstering security in the Black Sea," the Defense Ministry said.

https://www.politico.eu/article/ukraine-strikes-deal-to-get-two-royal-navy-mineh...


Italy’s export credit agency SACE unveils its ambitious ESG strategy at COP28

(Zawya, London, 1 December 2023) Italian export credit agency SACE unveiled a new ESG [environmental, social, and governance] strategy at COP 28, which will progressively align its business model with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The new strategy, unveiled at an offsite event during the COP28 summit in Dubai on Thursday, will integrate ESG criteria into decision-making processes and is underpinned by a scientific impact measurement system, the Agency said in a press statement. The Italian ECA is working on a €8.7 billion pipeline in the Gulf region for the Italian supply chain in strategic sectors such as renewables, infrastructure and construction, logistics, food and beverage, and energy. The Agency is also working on a €2 billion pipeline for Green Push transactions in the region.

https://www.zawya.com/en/projects/utilities/italys-export-credit-agency-sace-unv...


Pakistan’s Export-Import Bank formally launched

(Pakistan Today, Islamabad, 21 December 2023) Caretaker Minister for Finance, Revenue, and Economic Affairs, Dr Shamshad Akhtar, formally inaugurated Pakistan’s Export-Import Bank (EXIM) on Thursday. The move is aimed at strengthening external trade, attracting investments, and fostering broader economic growth in the country. The Caretaker Minister for Finance stated that institutions like EXIM have a global impact, noting that they disbursed a substantial $2.5 trillion in trade finance last year, benefiting exports across more than 60 countries. She stated that as EXIM Pakistan grows, it will play a crucial role in promoting trade finance through a well-structured institutional framework and effective policies. The finance minister stressed the need for streamlining export policy frameworks to contribute to the sustainability of the balance of payments, addressing historical challenges related to low levels of export earnings.

https://profit.pakistantoday.com.pk/2023/12/21/pakistans-export-import-bank-form...


Türk Eximbank expected to provide exporters $41 billion in 2023

(Daily Sabah, Istanbul, 19 December 2023) The funding that Türkiye’s state-owned financial institution providing banking services to exporters extended this year is expected to reach $41 billion (TL 1.19 trillion) by the end of 2023, its chairperson said Tuesday. Export Credit Bank of Türkiye (Türk Eximbank) has provided $38 billion from January through November, General Manager Ali Güney said, adding that they supported 16,800 exporters, with the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) ratio reaching 84%. “In 2022, we supported a total of 15,440 exporters, of which 81% were SMEs, while in 2023, the number of supported exporters increased to 16,800, with an SME ratio of 84%,” Güney told Anadolu Agency (AA). In another Daily Sabah article of 29 December, it was noted that Türk Eximbank had become a shareholder in the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), the continent’s leading infrastructure solutions provider. Türk Eximbank's first investment in an African entity makes it the first non-African sovereign shareholder in the AFC, it said in a statement.

https://www.dailysabah.com/business/economy/turk-eximbank-expected-to-provide-ex...


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